PENSIONERS campaigning to save their local post office from closure have taken their fight to the top.

A petition was presented to Prime Minister Tony Blair's agent, John Burton, at his constituency office in Trimdon Grange, County Durham.

The petition is protesting against the planned closure of the Neville Parade Post Office, in Newton Aycliffe.

The 2,001 names on the petition were collected last month at a protest outside the post office, which was organised by Peter Beaty, from the Newton Aycliffe charity, Friends of Senior Citizens, who said: "All these signatures were collected in one day.

"There's a lot of people against the closure. There's a lot of elderly people who live in this area who would find it difficult to get a bus into town to use the post office."

The post office is being closed because of falling customer numbers and increased running costs. It is one of 11 post offices in County Durham scheduled for closure.